State to raise portion of flooded U.S. Highway 12

May 18, 2011|By Jeff Bahr, American News reporter

The State Department of Transportation plans to raise the portion of U.S. Highway 12 east of Roscoe that now is limited to one lane because of floodwater. Some details are still being worked out, but the work will be done this year. “We hope to get it done this season,” said Phil Dwight, area engineer for the Department of Transportation in Aberdeen. In addition to funding, there are some environmental and right-of-way issues, Dwight said. Stoplights are being used on the stretch of road, which is about a half-mile long. The one-lane area is about a mile and three quarters east of Roscoe, said Edmunds County Emergency Manager Leland Treichel. The water has been over the road for at least a week, Treichel said. He estimates that the water covers 1,200 to 1,300 acres. Both Dwight and Treichel say the portion of Highway 12 never has been underwater before. “The only way this water is going to go away is by evaporation,” Treichel said. Stop signs, which were used earlier on the stretch, didn’t work out very well, Treichel said. Some motorists are sneaking through the stoplights, Treichel said. “Because it turned yellow when I entered it this morning, and three vehicles followed me through,” he said.